The First Five
by silentdisco
Summary: Based on LJ community hiphuggerfics prompt "Five Times...", this is the story of the first five most important occurrences of Eric and Calleigh's relationship. Chapter 1 is rated K , but future chapters will be rated T. EC/Hiphuggers
1. Chapter 1

The first time wasn't even a real date. But for Eric Delko, it was something important.

He found her in the locker room, sitting on the floor, leaning against a row of lockers with her legs stretched out in front of her. She was reading something, probably a forensics journal or something else work-related. Calleigh always was a workaholic. It was one of the many things he adored about her.

"Hey," he greeted, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Hey,"

She looked up at him and returned his smile with one of her own. She was always happy to see him.

He leaned against the row of lockers.

"You know, that thing there?" he gestured towards the bench "It's called a bench. It's meant for you to sit on."

Calleigh grinned. "Yes, but the benches have no back rest to them. Do you want me to get a sore back?"

"Sure. Then I'd get to give you a back rub to ease the pain away." A cheeky grin worked its way into his mouth.

"Or I could just take some Advil and leave it at that."

She couldn't stop the giggle that resulted from seeing Eric's grin morph into a puppy-eyed pout.

"But seriously," he countered "Do you have any idea how many germs could be on that floor?"

"To be honest, I hadn't thought about it, so I suppose I should get a move on and go home. Thank you, Ryan."

Eric chuckled.

"You know, I was thinking, I'm pretty hungry. Do you want to grab something to eat?"

"How can I resist an offer like that?"

She closed her book and set it down next to her. When she looked up, she saw Eric's outstretched hand in front of her, offering to help her up. She smiled and took it. As Calleigh's hand brushed against Eric's, he felt a jolt of electricity. From the way she hesitated for a brief moment, Eric knew she felt it too. He pulled her up so she was standing next to him, then reached behind her and picked up her book. She smiled.

"Thanks,"

"No problem."

At dinner they made small talk, telling jokes, and comparing notes on cases. Gradually, the subject matter shifted to more serious topics.

"So, uh, how's Jake?" he ventured nervously. Calleigh looked up.

"He's, uh, he's fine. A little down, though. We broke up."

"What?"

"Yeah. He could tell I wasn't fully vested in our relationship."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why weren't you fully vested in your relationship with him?"

"Eric, please."

"Cal, we're best friends. You can tell me anything. I guess it's none of my business, but if you want to talk, I'm here."

"It's just..."

"Just what, Cal?" he asked gently. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"He...he was jealous of you. Of our friendship. And our working relationship. I told him my friendship with you was more important than my relationship with him. He was disappointed, but didn't seem all that surprised."

There was a moment of silence between them as Eric processed what Calleigh had told him.

"Cal, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Ruining your relationship. I tried not to get in the way, but I guess I did anyway. I'm sorry."

"Eric, you didn't do anything wrong. You were perfect. You always have been. I'm the one that screwed up."

"Calleigh, what are you talking about?"

"I...I did something stupid. Jake was there, and I just...I don't know, found he was easier to go to than facing my feelings."

"Cal, I'm confused. What's going on?"

"Eric, I...I know you said...well, hinted...that you felt certain things...before Jake happened."

"Cal..."

"I, uh, I felt the same way. I still do. But I've never been an emotional person. I didn't really know what to do. It was easier to fall back into old habits than face something new."

She paused and looked deep into his eyes, intent on revealing everything she felt.

"Eric, you're such an amazing person. You feel things with such an intensity, and aren't afraid to show it. I was afraid. Afraid of losing my best friend, afraid of something that felt so real. So...I'm the one that should feel sorry."

Eric sat in awe for a minute. He couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe she was being so open with him. Couldn't believe what she was telling him. He knew he had to respond before she panicked and shut the door on her emotions.

"Calleigh? I still feel the same. How do you feel?"

She took a moment to think before she responded.

"I don't feel afraid any longer."


	2. Chapter 2

The second time was their first official date.

Eric decided to take her out to a nice restaurant. One that was not too fancy, but not too shabby. After work one Friday he headed back to his apartment, feeling anxious, yet excited. He dug his grey suit and a white button-down shirt out of the back of his closet before jumping in the shower. As the water poured down on him, a torrent of emotions was stirring up deep inside his chest. Eric had been looking forward to this all week. It was about to be the most important first date of his entire life. So really, no pressure.

The bar of soap slipped out of his hands and onto the tiled floor more times than he could count. Horrible thoughts plagued his mind: _What if they ran out of things to talk about? What if he said something stupid? What if he said a bunch of stupid things? What if this was just a dream?_ He shook his head to clear out the poison in his mind and shut off the water.

_This is Calleigh, _he reminded himself, wrapping a towel around his torso. _We're best friends. Best friends never run out of things to talk about. And so what if I say something stupid? Calleigh will just laugh as I turn beet red. God, I love her laugh. Her smile. Everything about her._

He dressed quickly and headed out to Calleigh's home.

--

Calleigh had been just as nervous as Eric. She tore through her entire closet, searching for something to wear. Eric had said a nice restaurant, but nothing over-the-top. She ruled out dress pants and blouses, similar to her work uniform, and pushed them to the back of her closet. That left skirts and dresses. She didn't have that many skirts, though she had plenty of dresses. She pulled out all of her dresses and laid them out across her bed.

_Too fancy, _she thought, placing two dresses back in her closet.

_Too slutty, _she decided about another three.

_Too girly, _she mused about her sun-dresses. _Wait. Dresses are supposed to be girly. _She placed them back on her bed.

Calleigh sighed as she realized she still had more than a half dozen options laid out in front of her. This was too much. To reduce that number, she decided to put the sun-dresses back in her closet after all, pushing them to the back so she wouldn't change her mind.

_And then there were four._

Green, pink, red, and black. She picked up the black one and smiled. It was perfect. It had been her go-to dress for years, and never failed to make her feel confident and flawless. Then again, she was going to dinner with Eric, not trying to impress the prince of Monaco. He would make her feel gorgeous even if she answered the door in a burlap sack. But still, she wanted to look good. And after nearly forgetting she had it, Calleigh put her foot down and proclaimed it their first-date dress.

She glanced at her watch and was shocked by the amount of time that had gone by, so she hurried into her bathroom to take a shower and finish getting ready.

--

Eric could feel his heartbeat pulsing through his ears at an alarming rate as he stood outside Calleigh's front door, waiting for her to answer. He said one last silent prayer to God that the night would go alright before she opened the door and smiled.

He would've smiled back, but he was distracted by her attire. The black dress she had on framed her body perfectly, showing off her graceful figure without revealing too much. Her shoulders were barely covered by the straps, teasing him with their soft appearance. Her legs were seemingly endless until her ankles gave way to black stiletto heels. Eric couldn't help but grin at her stubborn refusal to wear any shoe that did not give her less than a few inches of added height.

"Hey," she greeted, breaking the silence with her cheery disposition.

"Hey," he replied, eyes still struggling to focus on only one perfect part of her astounding presence.

"You're wearing a dress." he observed

"That's what they tell me it's called," she teased

"I know, but...I've never seen you in a dress." he continued, still bewildered.

"Eric, you've seen me in a dress before," she mused, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Not like that."

--

Dinner was going well, much to Eric's relief. His gut instinct was right- they were best friends, who would never run out of things to talk about.

About midway through their meal, Eric noticed that Calliegh had caught sight of one of the waiters- not theirs, but one for a nearby section. She tilted her head to the side, trying to discretely get a better look.

"You know him?" he asked, fighting the irrational jealousy that boiled in the pit of his stomach.

Calleigh shook her head, gaze still focused on the man.

"Did you used to know him? Ex-boyfriend, maybe?"

She didn't respond.

"Did he hurt you? Break your heart? Because if he did, I'm going to have to kick his butt."

Calleigh couldn't help but laugh. It touched her in the most heartwarming of ways that Eric was so protective of her.

"No, nothing like that. I don't know him. I never did. He just reminds me of someone."

She could almost hear his internal sigh of relief.

"Who?" he asked

Calleigh blushed and looked down before meeting his eyes again to respond.

"My first love."

Eric smiled, understanding completely.

"Well, you know what they say- you never forget your first love. Tell me about him."

As well as he knew Calleigh, he wanted to know everything about her in the way that only a serious romantic partner could. She returned his smile and obliged his request.

"His name was Kevin. We grew up together, actually. He was my age, in my class and everything. His parents lived next door to mine, so he was always around. We knew each other, but he never came over to hang out with me- it was always my brothers. They would do their boyish things, like lighting things on fire in our backyard, or shooting at empty cans of root beer. I tried to butt my way in, but they told me to go back to doing 'girl stuff'. But when we entered high school, he suddenly realized that I didn't have cooties anymore. He really tripped over himself trying to impress me. It didn't work until we entered our sophomore year, and the immature pipsqueak I knew was tall, tanned, and very attractive. We dated on and off throughout high school. It was kind of funny, now that I think about it. We'd be perfectly happy, then get into a silly fight and break up, date other people. But somehow we always came back to each other. There really never was any competition. He stole my heart the day he nearly lit my house on fire after a fireworks display he set up for my birthday."

Eric was touched by her new willingness to be open, and he was enchanted by the story. He could identify with this Kevin fellow- they both had to suffer through the wait for Calleigh, not to mention the fact that he understood why he fell in love with the incredible woman before him.

"Why'd you break up?" he asked "For good, I mean."

"Right before we graduated, he asked me to marry him. I almost said yes. But he was perfectly content to live in Darnell for the rest of his life, working as a mechanic, raising a family, that sort of thing. I was headed off to Tulane, and I didn't want to live in the same place my entire life. I needed to get out. We both wanted different things, and neither of us wanted to compromise."

"You ever wonder, what would've been, if you guys had come to some sort of agreement?"

"I used to, at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did what was best for me, and that had I stayed behind, I wouldn't be where I am today. And something else, too."

"What's that?"

"I never would've met you."

--

Later, they stood at her doorstep. They were both nervous. They had been for quite some time about this moment. They knew it would come. What they didn't know is what the other was planning to do. A handshake? A kiss? Many kisses? Would Eric end up spending the night? Calleigh fidgeted with her keys. Eric cleared his throat.

"I uh, I had a really great time tonight" he beamed

"Me too," she said, mirroring his grin

"Can I take you out again soon?" he asked.

"You don't have to ask me twice." she replied

"Great. Well then, I'll...see you Monday?"

"See you Monday," she nodded.

Eric leaned in first, and just a bit. But it was enough for Calleigh to get the idea. She leaned in closer to him. His intoxicating scent was doing a number of her senses. Her mind emptied of all coherent thoughts. All that mattered was Eric. His head, how his lips were moving closer and closer to her face.

Calleigh allowed her eyes to flutter shut. She tilted her head back expectantly. She could feel Eric come closer to her and she breathed in one last time- the scent of his cologne, his unique scent. It smelled so perfect mixed with her floral perfume and shampoo.

And then, it happened.

Eric pressed his lips against the soft skin of her cheek in a sweet, lingering kiss.

Calleigh's eyes opened wide at the unexpected sensation. She thought she would get to feel the softness of his gorgeous lips against her own for the first time. To feel their mouths mingle and lips mesh with teeth and tongue; gentle caresses followed by passionate eruptions.

Before he pulled back, Eric leaned in farther so his lips were mere millimeters from her ear.

"I don't want this to move too fast for you" he whispered, his breath sending shivers down Calleigh's spine.

He moved his head back in time to see the slightest flicker of disappointment in Calleigh's emerald eyes. But as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and she smiled a genuine smile and nodded, appreciative of his concern for her.

They said their final "Good nights" and Eric headed back to his car, a grin plastered on his face for the entire ride home while Calleigh retreated to her house, still reveling in the warm, tingly feeling of being kissed on the cheek by Eric.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you guys so much for your kind reviews! I'm sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up, but I started college and am taking four studio classes, so it's been pretty busy. I promise I have not abandoned this story, I will write chapters four and five. Enjoy this next installment! I'm rather proud of it )

--

The third time was another milestone for Eric and Calleigh's relationship.

Eric walked with a perpetual smile on his face the entire week after their first date. Though nothing physical had happened, he couldn't care less. He knew their relationship would progress to more physical intimacy eventually, but for now, he was perfectly content to simply be with her without anyone else in their way. If he was honest with himself, he realized he could date and marry Calleigh without ever making love to her, and he would most certainly die a happy man.

Calleigh's reaction was exactly the same. She found herself smiling for no particular reason various times throughout the day, a habit that attracted the attention of her coworkers. She shrugged it off, told them she was having a good day, and they seemed to let it go. On the day of what was to be their second date, Calleigh felt like a giddy schoolgirl all over again.

Eric showed up at her door with a potted plant in his hand, grinning at her surprised expression.

"It's a Casa Blanca lily," he explained. "It, uh, it only blooms at night. I figured, you know, if you ever have nightmares about the kidnapping again, you'll have something pretty to look at. Smells good, too. So it could work as some sort of aromatherapy as well."

Calleigh was touched. The one time she did have nightmares, she had called Eric and told him. They talked about anything and everything until she felt better enough to go back to sleep. It amazed her that he could attend to her emotional needs so well.

"Eric, that's so sweet," she said, taking the pot from his outstretched hands. "I'm going to put this in my kitchen, get my purse, and we'll be good to go."

--

By the time they got in the car, Calleigh still had no idea where he was taking her, and her curiosity was growing by the second.

"Where are we going, Eric?"

"I'm taking you to the finest deli in Little Havana."

"Oh."

A deli? Well that was…inexpensive. Calleigh didn't give a damn about money, but she thought Eric would put more effort into their date, even if it cost very little.

Eric allowed himself to enjoy the blonde's adorable look of confusion for a moment longer before he spoke again.

"Relax. We're getting it to go. I'm taking you somewhere nicer to actually eat it."

"Oh! And where would that be?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

The faux pout on her lips caused Eric to chuckle. Tonight was going to be good.

--

At the deli, Calleigh ordered her sandwich in Spanish and made small talk with the owner, who obviously knew Eric. He was impressed, and told Eric so while Calleigh busied herself getting napkins and plastic utensils.

"_Esa chica es muy especial, Eric. No le pierda." _This girl is very special, Eric. Don't lose her.

"_Yo sé. Ella es más especial que puedes imaginar."_ I know. She's more special than you can imagine.

"_¿Cuándo es la boda? Deseo que inviteme."_ When's the wedding? I want you to invite me.

"_Reláje, Juan. Esta noche es solamente nuestro segunda cita."_ Relax, Juan. It's only our second date.

"_Pero quieres casarse con ella, ¿no?"_ But you want to marry her, right?

"_Claro que sí. Le amo mucho."_ Of course. I love her very much.

The last words were spoken at a whisper. Eric knew she wasn't ready to hear them just yet.

--

They left and he began to drive towards their mystery destination. Twenty minutes later he pulled up at the beach.

"Here we are."

"The beach?! I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

"That's because I'm good. And mysterious. Isn't that what all you girls want? A mysterious guy?" he asked as they began walking on the sand.

"Some girls do."

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Do you want the mysterious guy?"

Calleigh thought a moment before she answered, thinking back to all her previous boyfriends. Kevin was her first love. John was a good friend. Peter was cute. Jake was mysterious…but not in a good way. He'd disappear for days, weeks, even months at a time while working undercover during their first try at a relationship. Other past boyfriends weren't worth remembering.

"Calleigh?" Eric asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"To be honest, Eric, all I really want is you."

His heart melted and a grin crept its way up to his mouth. He put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the perfect patch of sand for them to lay their blanket on.

--

Conversation flowed easily as they were finishing up their meal. Eric talked about his family. Calleigh talked about hers. Then the subject changed.

"Hey, you never told me," Calleigh remarked.

"Told you what?"

"About your first love. I told you about Kevin. Tell me about yours."

After a slight pause, he answered.

"Oh, God. I haven't thought about it in forever. Amanda. Amanda Martinez. She moved to Miami from Texas the summer before our junior year of high school. Joined the swim team. That's how we met. She was an expert at backstroke, which, at the time, was my weakest stroke. It felt so unnatural to me. I hated not being able to see where I was going. We didn't compete against each other during meets because she was a girl, obviously. But during practice she would glide past me doing backstroke, and she broke all the school backstroke records. I was in awe. She noticed my struggle and offered to help me. So a few times a week we got together to perfect my technique. It came out that she had trouble with the butterfly, which had always been my strongest stroke. So I helped her with that, too. We spent so much time together, and became best friends…best friends that fell in love. It was a great two years."

"What happened?"

"We broke up when we went to college, you know, try new things and all. Plus, she was at Penn State and I was at U of M. We decided that if by the end of freshman year we still wanted to be together, that we'd get back together. But a year later, it wasn't the same. We both changed. I started to care more about school and swimming, while she started to care more about partying and getting drunk. I wasn't into that. So we parted ways. Last I heard, she moved to Germany for whatever job it was she got after college."

"I'm sorry." She seemed genuinely sad for him. In reality, her mind was making a note to kick the ass of a girl that had the nerve to hurt her Eric.

"I'm not. I mean, it sucked at first. Because even though I wasn't sure if I wanted to get back together with her before I saw how she changed, I lost her as a friend. She became the kind of person I tried to avoid. But it's okay. Because I did well in school, got a job I love, and met you. Some things in life will come and go, but some things will always be there, regardless of change,"

"That's a good way to think about it."

"It's amazing what getting shot in the head can do to your outlook on life." He tried to make it into a joke, but he could see it clearly upset her.

"Oh, Eric…"

"It's okay, Cal. I'm fine. And you know that."

"I also know how hard it was to see you in that hospital bed."

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be sorry," she interrupted. "It's not your fault. And as you said, you're fine. And I know that."

"Okay."

Eric smiled, relishing in the feeling of being so emotionally open with Calleigh. She smiled back and licked the mustard off her fingers before lying on her side, facing Eric, her torso propped up on her elbow. Eric mimicked her position and noticed a stray dab of mustard occupying a space just above her upper lip. Without thinking, he reached out to get it.

"You got a little bit of mustard right there," he said, touching his thumb to the yellow blob on her lip.

Neither of them was prepared for what happened when he touched her lip and erased the stain with a simple swipe of thumb. The act was far more intimate than they were prepared to handle. Tingly sensations radiated from the pad of Eric's thumb, jumping to Calleigh's mouth and back, completing the circuit. One light touch and all heat, electricity, and desire in each of their bodies raced to where their skin was touching.

Calleigh's gaze had been fixated on what she could see of Eric's hand below her nose. She looked up and met Eric's eyes. They were so dark and hypnotizing that she almost didn't notice his other hand come to rest on her hip. Another flood of sensation to a different part of their bodies. Holding her gaze, Eric slowly began to lower the hand that was touching her lip so he could support himself again. Simultaneously, Calleigh leaned in, and Eric's eyes fluttered shut as he prepared himself for what was next.

Her breath was tickling his ear for a moment before she whispered into it.

"Even though I know you're fine, I still worry about you."

Eric's heart was beating up a storm.

"Is there anything I can do to make you stop worrying so much?" he whispered back.

"Maybe."

"What's that?"

"Kiss me."

His eyes flew open and nearly bulged out of his brain. Calleigh's breah was still at his ear. He turned his head slightly to face her, catching her eyes immediately. They were a dark emerald shade, one he couldn't remember every seeing before. Then again, he probably couldn't remember his own name what with Calleigh's face inches away from his own and the demand she made moments before.

He conveyed every thought and emotion in his eyes to her, and saw the same ones reflected in her green irises. Eyes fluttered shut. Distances closed. And their lips met.

His were full, luscious, and warm. Hers were smaller, delicious, and soft. One kiss became two, three, a dozen, a million. With each moment, both of their hearts raced faster. His hand squeezed her hip gently. Her free hand came to rest against his cheek, stubble tickling her palm. As they lost themselves in sensation, Calleigh felt Eric's tongue flick lightly at her lips. The act was so intense that she couldn't help the noise that came from deep in her throat. Hearing the moan and feeling its vibrations caused Eric to draw a sharp intake of air through his nose before letting it out in a sound of his own. Her lips parted and their tongues met for the first time, guaranteeing the start of a dangerous addiction to the feelings stirred up inside and radiating throughout their bodies. They continued to kiss until they were out of breath and reluctantly parted.

Eric's eyes opened first and the sight he saw would be forever imprinted in his memory. Calleigh, chest heaving, struggling to catch her breath, lips swollen, and eyes closed to regain her composure. Eric prayed her emotional walls stayed down as she opened her eyes.

They did. Eyelids lifted, and the clarity within them was obvious. She allowed him to see her, really see her, and the extent of her feelings, all the way into the depths of her soul.

She smiled. He did too. And then he spoke.

"Wow. That was a long time coming."

"Yes, it was," Calleigh agreed. She gazed lovingly into his eyes as her thumb brushed tenderly across his cheek where her hand remained resting.

"How long do you think? I mean, for me, it's been years, but what about you? God, the first day I met you I wanted to do that. And as much as it would boost my ego to hear that it's been that long for you too, I'd rather have the honest answer. Even if it's five minutes. An hour. A day. A month. Two months, six months, a yea-"

"Eric," she interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

They smiled and he leaned in to kiss her again. It was good. As good as the first. And probably better, he realized, as she rolled onto her back and he swung over to hover over her body as the kiss deepened. Propped up on one elbow, he used his free arm to graze his finger along her hairline, cup her neck, tangle his fingers in her hair. He brushed her cheek several times before relieving the arm he was resting on. He set his forearms down on either side of her; hands perched on her shoulders, and thumbs rubbing in slow, lazy circles. Her hands reached up to frame his face, then run through his short, textured hair to commence at the back of his neck, nails scratching gently. A few minutes later they broke apart and sat up. He guided her to rest her back against his muscular chest and they watched the sunset, kissed some more, and talked about anything that came to mind.

A few hours later, they kissed good night on her porch, and Calleigh insisted on planning and paying for their next date.

"Bossy," Eric joked.

"Like you'd have me any other way," she teased.

"True."

They embraced and he kissed her one last time before she disappeared inside her house, feeling giddier than ever. But that was appropriate, as Eric was grinning too, licking his lips repeatedly to savor the taste of her lips on his as he drove home for the night.


End file.
